Richfield's Modified Basketweave Stop Sign Pattern - One Year Later

I blogged a year ago about the City of Richfield’s policy implementing a modified basketweave stop sign system.  I was curious to find out how the policy has been working after a year of implementation.  Tom Foley, Richfield’s Transportation Engineer, was kind enough to do an interview with me.  Following is our question and answer:

Q - Have you collected any further data on the stop sign policy now that it has been in place for about a year? 

A- We have implemented the new policy in only one-third of the city. It will take another two years before stop signs are installed citywide.  We have not had a chance to collect data on speeds and crashes in the new neighborhoods that had stop signs installed in 2008. This will be done in 2009.

Q - Has the policy made your job easier or has it complicated it? 

A - The data collection of residential speed data has required increased Engineering staff time. Also, there have been a number of requests that the stop signs be reconfigured at specific intersections. We have had complaints that the new stop sign pattern has increased speeds on east-west streets. We have explained that data collection is needed to document the effect on speeding. We have had one complaint that a resident has lost on-street parking due to state law prohibiting cars from parking closer than 30 feet from a stop sign.  In one way it has made my job easier. Residents who want stop signs are willing to wait for their neighborhood to receive them.

Q - What things would you change in the policy?

A - I am satisfied with the policy. However, I would encourage other cities to offer this approach on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis. In other words, as residents request stop signs, I would ask the entire neighborhood if they want them. If they do, then you would offer them the pattern as we have proposed it, or the traditional basketweave pattern as another alternative. One of our biggest concerns was that the placement of stop signs appeared haphazard to many drivers. This could lead to crashes based on motorists thinking that all intersections are stop controlled, when, in fact, they are not. Emphasizing consistent traffic control at the neighborhood level will improve safety.

Q - Any advice for other traffic engineers looking at implementing the modified basketweave?

A - I would say that Richfield’s experience can be useful if another city is thinking of adding stop signs in residential areas. Richfield is predominantly designed with a grid pattern for its residential streets. Our findings are most suitable for other cities with a similar grid pattern street network. Using before and after speed/crash data is helpful in evaluating the effectiveness of any traffic control system in residential areas. We benefited from using our Geographic Information System (GIS) to sort and analyze a large amount of data. We also found that there was very little useful research literature available on traffic issues involving residential streets.  What we did was give transportation engineers another option in dealing with residential traffic control. This modified basketweave option should be considered in addition to the traditional basketweave stop sign pattern.

Thanks Tom!